An 82 year old woman passed away from measles, as well as other serious illnesses on Wednesday, according to a report from the Israel Ministry of Health, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.
The woman was hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem in early December. Her death was the second death from measles in 2018.
The first death from measles in 2018 was an 18-month-old toddler who died on November 1, also in Jerusalem. The toddler's death was the first recorded death from measles in Israel in 15 years. The baby was reportedly not vaccinated from the disease and was brought to the hospital without a pulse.
The Ministry of Health noted that as of Wednesday, there were 2690 patients with measles, with the peak in October with 948 patients. In November there was a slight decrease with 893 patients, and in December as of Wednesday, there were only 194 patients.
The Ministry added that despite the declining trend in the morbidity rate, the Ministry is continuing to work on increasing the vaccination rate until the outbreak is completely halted.
The bulk of measles cases have been in the Jerusalem area. The Health Ministry said earlier this year that 90% of the cases in Israel were either people who had not been vaccinated, or who came into contact with unvaccinated people.
Measles can have lasting effects such as hearing loss, and is fatal for one in 1,000 children who catch it.
The MMR vaccine is 97% effective in preventing infection with the measles virus when the recommended two doses are received on time, according to the Health Ministry.